UK Lords debate religious hatred bill amid protests

[JURIST] The UK House of Lords [official website] debated the proposed Racial and Religious Hatred Bill [text; BBC Q/A] Tuesday as a coalition of demonstrators protested outside parliament. The bill, proposed [JURIST report] last year, is would ban incitement to religious hatred. The demonstrators, which included both religious believers and critics of religion, argued the bill would restrict religious believers' right to evangelize and outlaw legitimate public discourse. Home Secretary Charles Clarke [official profile] responded by asserting that the purpose of the bill was to stop extremist behavior, not to limit free speech. BBC News has more.

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